Severed Threads (44 page)

“
So
that’s
the heart of the dragon,” Ian chimed. His eyes gleamed like polished emeralds – holding the diamond captive in his gaze. He stepped closer, drawn by its luster. Its mysterious magnetic appeal. “Can I touch it?” he asked.

Rachel’s protective instincts appeared to have kicked in. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to put this away for now,” she said, as if speaking to an adolescent. “We wouldn’t want anything to happen to it, now would we?” She kept an eye on Ian, waiting for his head to wag back and forth. With his attention still fixated on the diamond, she returned it to its secret compartment, locked the box and pocketed the key.

“
So, what do you think it’s worth?” Chase asked, watching her eyes more intently.

She cleared her throat and delivered a viable answer. “I’ll know for sure when Dr. Ying has a professional jeweler examine it. In the meantime, why don’t we agree to keep this between all of us? Like a buried treasure.”

Allie and Shishi were all smiles. “A pirate’s treasure?” Allie asked, gushing with enthusiasm.

Rachel smiled. “Yep. And I know this is a bit of a stretch, but just out of curiosity, Shishi, what does your name mean…if I were to translate it into English?”

He puffed his chest, exuding pride, and announced his answer loud and clear. “My papa named me Lyon because I’m so brave and strong.”

Rachel exploded in laugher, crushing the joy in Shishi’s face. She regained her perfect sense of propriety and drew him into her arms. She assured him the joke wasn’t in his name at all.

“
You’re miraculous,” she told him, boosting his spirits. “A genuine four hundred-year-old prophecy. In fact, it’s pretty phenomenal when you come to think about it. Allie’s family originally came from Portugal, yours came from Asia. Allie wants to be a sea captain and you enjoy adventure stories. Together you discovered the heart of the dragon and kept it safe. It seems to me that destiny has a great sense of humor, don’t you think?”

While everyone’s eyes remained fixed on Shishi, Chase reached for Rachel’s hand.

“
Outside,” he whispered.

“
You know on second thought, maybe we should call the professor,” Rachel said. “Although he’ll probably have a coronary when he hears the news.”

“
Outside,” he repeated.

She followed him through the doorway, and looked up at him confused.

“
What do you think
we’re
worth, Rachel?” he asked.

“
I don’t understand. What are you asking me?”
“Back in my room you were hesitant to answer, so I’m asking you this final time. I know destiny brought us together…just like Mai Le and her captain. No matter what your decision might be, I’ll love you forever, sweetheart. But I need to know – for better or worse – are you willing to give us another shot?”

She exhaled a deep breath and looked into his eyes. “I don’t want anyone but you, but I don’t want to feel like I do. You’re asking for the truth and here it is. I fell in love with you the moment we met, Chase Cohen. But I’m not that person anymore. I’m like an iceberg on the ocean, adrift and unsure of what lies in store. But no matter how hard I try, I’m never going to stop feeling. I’m never going to stop longing for you.”

Tension was pulling him in all directions. His heart was aching inside. “Why does that sound like a curse?”

“
Because it is,” she assured him. “You’ve touched my heart, my mind…the deepest part of my soul. I can’t imagine my life without you. Is that what you want to hear? Is that what you need to know?”

He looked down, hoping for more. Trying to settle for less.

“
Can’t we just focus on now?” she said sweetly. “We can always worry about tomorrow later.”

Chase threw on a crooked smile. He roped her into his arms and while Ian and Shishi stared in astonishment from the hospital’s open doorway, he fixed his mouth on Rachel’s in a long, demanding kiss, leaving her gasping for breath.

"I’m going to make you say it, angel,” he breathed in her ear. “No matter how long it takes.”

Epilogue

Six months later…

Chase stood across from Dr. Ying with Rachel’s arm draped around his neck, beaming with pride. The San Palo’s new museum wing, appropriately named after Sam Lyons, was now complete. All the relics collected from the Chinese merchant ship, including an encased duplicate of the Mai Le diamond were on display. A poem titled
Severed Threads
– souls separated, now reunited – was inscribed on a metal plaque and mounted below it. Excitement was growing from the crowd gathering outside, eager to view the amazing
Wanli II
collections.

“I just heard some remarkable news,” Dr. Ying told Rachel. “Were you offered the directorship for San Palo University’s new oceanography program?”

Her smile broadened. “Yes…it’s true. I have to admit it’s more than I ever hoped for. Without your encouragement, it would’ve taken me a lot longer to realize I belong under the water and not behind a desk.” She squeezed Chase’s neck and whispered in his ear, “I believe I owe you too.”

“I’ll be collecting on that tonight.”

“Excuse me, Miss Lyons,” Eleanor interrupted. “Your brother called and is waiting for you at the marina.”

“Oh, I completely lost track of the time.” She leaned up for a kiss and smiled. “I promise we’ll be home for dinner. That is, if I can get Devon away from the engine room long enough. With his new interest in keeping Dad’s pride and joy in top-running condition, it might take a little persuasion from Mika and her pan-fried noodles to unplug him.”

“You sure you don’t want me to go with you?” Chase asked.

“I’d love for you to come, but this is something Devon and I need to do. I hope you don’t mind.”

Chase smiled. “Of course not. Just get home safe, okay?”

“I will.”

As she strode toward the exit, Rachel couldn’t stop smiling. She drove through town and parked in the marina’s freshly paved lot. As soon as she boarded
Stargazer
, Devon pulled out into the harbor. While he maintained their heading, she used Chase’s map to navigate their course. All the while, a gold metal canister sat braced on the floor between them.

They arrived at their prescribed destination an hour later. On the distant horizon, the sun covered the heavens in a multitude of colors: orange, red, lavender, pink. The kind of night sky their father would have loved. When the moment was right, Devon joined Rachel at the gun rail. She opened the gold urn and together they spread their father’s ashes over the sea and bid Sam Lyons a final farewell.

Rachel blew out a tearful sigh. “He would have loved this, you know. Both of us here, seeing his dream realized.” She glimpsed Devon, staring out to sea. “I’m sorry about Selena…that you lost her too.”

Devon flashed a non-comical smile. “Crazy as it sounds, I loved her. I really did. But people aren’t always what you make them out to be. Hearts can’t always pick who they chose to love. That’s not the case for you, Rachel. You’ve got a good man who would do anything in this world for you. He makes no bones about the way he feels.”

She looked up at the stars filling the sky.

“I had no right to get involved,” he said. “But now I’m offering you some brotherly advice. I’m hoping…no, I’m praying you’ll take it. Life is
so
short. You’ll never know the joy or sweet pain that comes with true love unless you’re willing to open yourself to it. There’s a port waiting back there for you and a captain who wants to guide you for the rest of your life.”

She cast Devon a sad, side-long glance.

“Take a chance,” he told her. “Tell Chase you love him. You’ll never regret giving your heart away, just like I never will.”

As he turned the ship and headed them back toward shore, Rachel stood on the afterdeck, considering her brother’s advice.
Perhaps he’s right,
she told herself. It was time to move on. To trust her heart. To believe in love again. As she watched their wake spread beyond the
Wanli’s
tomb, a flicker of light off to the right captured her attention. In that moment, she witnessed the gossamer woman swimming away under a rolling wave. The image morphed and became two descending dolphins. She stared at the astonishing sight and wondered if Mai Le had found her captain and was finally at peace.

* * *

After a long, romantic night in the cottage, Monday morning came sooner than Chase had anticipated. He helped Rachel into his truck and slid into the driver’s seat. Then he turned to her with a smile. “Now remind me. What were those three little words you said after I climbed into the shower with you?”

“Pass the soap?”

Chase laughed. “Real cute.”

“Who, me?”

“Definitely.”

Rachel leaned across the seat and whispered up close. “I love you?”

“Is that a question?” He held her face and kissed her gently, relishing the softness of her lips. “Okay…time to get on your side of the truck, young lady, or I’ll have to take you back upstairs and have my way with you.”

Rachel sat back in her seat smiling while Chase checked his side mirror. He was about to pull away from the curb, when Reverend Yamada showed up, blocking their exit. He circled the front of their vehicle and stood outside Chase’s open window.

“I had an opportunity to go to the museum yesterday with Mika and Shishi,” he told them. “I’ve been hearing all about your success on television and in the newspapers and wanted to compliment both of you on your miraculous discoveries. God’s definitely been blessing you two. I never would have expected anything so extraordinary to turn up right off our coastal waters.”

“Thank you,” Chase said. “I don’t mean to be rude. It’s just that I promised to meet Allie and Ian for breakfast…”

“Oh, I have no intention of keeping you. But if you don’t mind, there is one specific question I’d really like to ask.”

Chase looked at Rachel and sighed.

“Don’t worry, honey,” she said, smiling. “I’ll text Ian and let them know we’re running a little late.” She picked up her phone and began tapping away.

“All right,” Chase told the pastor. “But can you please make it quick? If I’m not there to stop him, Ian will have Allie eating chocolate pancakes with fudge sauce along with a 7-layer piece of cake.”

Reverend Yamada chuckled. “I understand, believe me. My son’s the same way. I was just hoping to enlist your help in finding a valuable heirloom that went down in a capsized yacht off the coast of Japan. Believe it or not, my brother’s a Buddhist priest and good friend of Dr. Ying’s. His premonitions are highly regarded in Japan and were responsible for my bringing Shishi to California and reuniting him with Allie.”

Chase couldn’t help but smile. The man obviously had his own take on their friendship.

“My brother’s recent dreams told him that you and Miss Lyons were the chosen ones to help us with this difficult task,” the pastor insisted. “I assure you, he will cover all your expenses in addition to providing a sizeable reward for finding the Templar’s Stone.”

“
Templar?
” Rachel’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “You
do
know what that means?”

Chase angled a look. “What?”

She crossed her arms and jutted out her chin. “You’re now looking at the newest member of Trident Venture’s international salvaging team.”

“Who?”

“Me, of course.”

Chase laughed and pulled her close.

With her ear pressed against his chest, listening to his pounding heart, she whispered, “I love you, Chase Cohen.”

He smiled and kissed the top of her head. Rachel Lyons had become a fascinating, daring creature – so complex and full of surprises. With her at his side, there was no doubt in his mind…their greatest adventures were about to begin.